Thursday, November 25, 2010

"Hands Reach" Face Wash for the Holiday Traveler

It dawned on me a few days ago, that in the midst of moving and renovating a new house, then abruptly jumping on a plane to the east coast, that I forgot to pack face wash.

Instead of cruising to Whole Foods or Blue Mercury and dropping some dough on something overpriced and toxic, I decided to turn to my boyfriend's father's kitchen.

Here's what I created in less than 10 minutes with what I found without digging too deep:

-honey (not organic, but one must make due when you are in a mini crisis)

-coffee grounds (left over in their coffee grinder from earlier)

-almonds (you could sub oats, or another grain here)

-jasmine tea

-apple cider vinegar

-olive oil

Here's what I did:

I put a few tablespoons of the apple cider vinegar in a pot and placed it on the stove. I used more than usual because my diet has consisted of cheese and sugar as of late, so I could use the extra astringent properties that ACV has. I then dumped in a combo of leftover coffee grounds (which stimulate blood flow....hence waking the skin up), almonds (a natural emollient) and jasmine tea from the contents of a tea bag and ground them together in a coffee grinder. I mixed this in with the ACV and added a decent amount of honey. The honey will help hold the mixture together, so you can add more as needed. I am also really dry from the new winter weather, so I threw in a teaspoon of olive oil. I then heated the mixture on low until well blended and poured it in to my glass jar. Chances are with all the cooking going down this time of year that you can find a glass jar in the recycling or an almost empty, old jam in the fridge that is ready to go.